The rumours and images that have been circulating the past week have finally been confirmed. Microsoft are indeed going to release a timer that will limit the length of time children can play on their Xbox 360 console.

Microsoft has announced this new feature in the hope of appealing to their new found audience, the average family - "As the customer base broadens, the demand for these kinds of capabilities does increase" says Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division.

The feature has been dubbed the "Family Timer" and can be set to limit weekly or daily usage and cuts the console when the time runs out. A similar feature can be found in Microsoft's operating system, Windows Vista.

Research into parental controls over children revealed that 90% of parents restrict gaming in some way, half of which are on playing time. This new feature goes a step further in helping parents enforce discipline without feeling too bad about it - "The number-one tool they miss is the ability to enforce time restrictions electronically on the console" commented Bach. Problem is, Microsoft will need to make this easy to use for, non-technology, expert parents and hope that they will remember their Windows Live ID in a few months, in case they want to change limits.

More information can be found on Xbox.com